Foster anchors his analysis of educational leadership by situating the function of schooling as bureaucratic control over individuals. Within the context of schools as a systemic, rule-bearing institution, Foster challenges the work of educational leaders. Are educational leaders virtuous and free or are they mere agents of the state? Foster pits…

The superintendent's role today is so complex that it deals with so many competing issues and is measured by such high standards tied to accountability for results that few are willing to tackle the job these days. With such a seemingly impossible job to tame, it is amazing that some superintendents still can truly affect student achievement. In…

Purpose: The educational literature reflects the widely shared belief that participative leadership has an overwhelming advantage over the contrasting style of directive leadership in organizational and team effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative effect of a directive leadership approach as compared with a…

This article addresses issues associated with applications of ideas from "chaos theory" to educational administration and leadership as found in the literature. Implications are considered in relation to claims concerning the behaviour of non-linear dynamic systems, and to the nature of the interpretations and recommendations that are made. To aid…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to provide readers with an understanding of how the assessment protocol for executive coaching can be adapted to more effectively meet the different needs of clients who are seeking developmental, transitional, or remedial coaching. Design/methodology/approach: This article is based on the author's 20 years…

This article describes an educational intervention designed to promote the ability and willingness of MBA students to lead through coaching. MBA leadership students are trained to serve as coaches for undergraduate business students in a developmental assessment center. In this compelling context, their main source of influence is the ability to…

Despite the tendency to draw on experience from the commercial sector when it comes to theorising about school leadership, there is a paucity of research on comparisons between commercial and educational management. This article presents findings from a research project that followed a number of (experienced and newly appointed) school and…

Educators have at their disposal a large and substantive library of literature that defines and describes the attributes of highly effective leaders. Ashforth (1994) and Blase and Blase (2002) point out that, although volumes have been written about effective leadership, there has been surprisingly little discussion and research dedicated to…

This article sketches out a framework for inclusive leadership. As one of the constellation of approaches to leadership and social justice, inclusive leadership is concerned first and foremost with inclusion, both in its processes and the ends for which it strives. It provides another lens to help those concerned with social justice recognize…

I explore the role and skills a principal needs to succeed in a transforming South African township school environment. I looked in detail at four principals and schools exposed to innovation. Two were successful in transforming their schools and two were not. The successful principals were able to seize innovations and make them work for the…

Student-led project-based teams are widely used by faculty but do we really understand the process that students experience as a result of participating in a team? This study sought to understand the team process by examining leadership practices exhibited by assigned leaders and their team culture. Using a mixed-methods case study design it was…

In this second volume of "The Soul of Educational Leadership" series, editors Paul D. Houston, Alan M. Blankstein, and Robert W. Cole offer creative perspectives on the challenges of reframing leadership practice. Presenting key strategies from leadership experts such as Thomas Sergiovanni and Dennis Sparks, this compact resource combines…

Arguments presented in this paper and the evidence from the Tasmanian Successful School Principals Project support broadening "what" counts for successful schools and school leadership. This broadening needs to embrace student outcomes, including non-cognitive social outcomes such as student empowerment. In examining who should provide…

Using a blend of social constructionism, critical feminism, and dialogue theory, the discourse of nine Manitoba superintendents is examined to determine if it illustrates particular gendered assumptions regarding superintendents' leadership style. Qualitative inquiry and analysis methods were utilized to identify emerging themes, or topics of…

For more than 40 years, concern has been expressed over the attrition rate of students in Ph.D. programs in American universities. Although there are a number of significant factors at work, attrition of doctoral students in sciences such as anatomy may lead to a dearth of trained teaching anatomists as well as research scientists in the…